


The New Kid

by shayminion



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Bang Chan is a Sweetheart, Celebrities, Crack, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, High School, Jealous Han Jisung | Han, Lee Minho | Lee Know is Whipped, M/M, Multi, but not for jisung
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-10
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-04-24 03:23:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19164817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shayminion/pseuds/shayminion
Summary: Sixteen year old Han Jisung was stuck. Being given a place in a private art school should have been the education of his dreams, but he had always felt like something was missing.Little did he know that missing piece would come in the form of a person.





	1. Chapter 1

♫ **School Life • Stray Kids** ♫

Jisung knew his highschool years were supposed to be the best time of his life. It was supposed to be a time to grow, to make lifelong friends and to find what he truly desires.

Instead, it just made the brown-haired boy more confused about himself.

Being a student at the Seoul Academy of the Arts, the highest ranking arts school in all of South Korea, was a huge honour. However, Jisung found that his interests had changed. They had first been in playing the piano, but over the last year had quickly changed into rap and cooler music and writing.

Jisung wanted to produce music. He wanted people to feel something when they listened to his lyrics.

The teenager wanted to be _famous_.

It didn't help that his parents weren't especially fond of that type of music. His mother would turn up her nose at the hard rock music he asked to play during car rides and listened to when he showered. She preferred classical music, and enjoyed a nice Bach piece over anything. It bore Jisung to death before he got his license.

His father was probably a little better regarding his change in interest. Outside of work his dad had hardly any interest in anything, save for television game shows. Jisung would rather just avoid him on any situation regarding what he liked, knowing his father didn't care.

They probably didn't need to know about the small underground rap group he was a part of.

"...Earth to Han? Hello?"

He startles as one of his best friends and band mates, Seo Changbin, taps his shoulder.

The two were supposed to be studying for an upcoming test and had dedicated a corner of the library to it. Books about the history of languages were strewn around them, however the two only used it as a scapegoat to work on their music on Changbin's laptop.

"S-Sorry! What did you say?" He lifts one of the books they were poring through to hide his blush. Changbin looks unimpressed, flipping through one of the books idly.

"Chan's late."

Jisung frowns, checking his watch. It was 4:27pm, and time for evening self-study. The third and eldest member of their music group was supposed to have met them at least 10 minutes ago.

"Maybe he got held up with another teacher again," Jisung mumbles, checking his phone for any missed messages. Their friend Chan constantly got into trouble for his bleached blonde hair, and often had detention after school for it.

After shooting him a quick text, the two return to boredly studying before Chan finally joins them.

"Hey, hey! Sorry about the delay."

He's grinning widely, surprising them with coloured pink and turquoise hair. Jisung's jaw drops at the sight.

"Oh my God, Chan."

Changbin looks up, takes one look at the Australian and shakes his head. "I'm surprised you haven't been kicked out of this damn school."

The foreign boy laughs, running a hand through the fluffy curls. "Yeah. Ms Seon was ready to drag me to a basin to dye it back to black. I've got another slip~"

He waves the detention slip for tomorrow morning, grinning. Both of the younger boys sigh in response.

After Chan sits with them and pulls out his wireless headphones, the three get to work on their new song.

Chan and Changbin were Jisung's only friends in school. He and Changbin had been very close ever since day one. Jisung, who had been picked on for looking like a squirrel during their first year of middle school, had been found crying by a startled Changbin. Instead of turning away, the black-haired boy had gone out of his way to beat the shit out of anyone who had said that or teased him ever since.

Chan was a transfer student from the year above, and had joined their highschool during their first year. Being so old yet knowing very little Korean made it difficult for the elder to make friends, but accidentally overhearing Jisung and Changbin practice their rap brought the three together eventually.

They had been close friends ever since, and uploaded songs to soundcloud and youtube to reach out to others. They only had four real fans, one of which was Chan's mom, but they still pumped out content.

"I heard from Hyunjinnie that there is a new student joining us in homeroom tomorrow." Changbin is checking his phone while Chan writes lyrics, frowning as he scrolls through twitter. They're sprawled on the carpetted floor now, unable to continue further until Chan tweaks with their original lyrics.

Jisung rolls his eyes. "Yeah, sure. I'll believe whatever Hyunjin says when hell freezes over."

Changbin makes an exasperated sound in response. "When will you get over what happened in middle school? He hasn't teased you ever since I kicked his shins in, and even then he and I are friends now."

Jisung just chuckles in response, not wanting to answer. Truthfully, he knew the tall Hyunjin didn't like Jisung very much. So, he would rather just stay away and avoid the situation entirely if he could help it.

"Anyways." Changbin rolls his eyes, locking his phone and watching Chan work. "I mentioned the new student thing because apparently he was kicked out of his last school due to health reasons."

This piques Jisung's interest.

"What do you mean 'health reasons'?"

"I don't know-- Chan, that's not how you spell masterpiece." Changbin gets distracted, fixing Chan's sloppier korean writing. "What was I saying... I don't know for sure but apparently he takes drugs and it gave the school a bad reputation."

"Oh." Jisung frowns. "I'm assuming Hyunjin told you that?"

"Yeah, because his dad is our _school principal_. Dummy." Changbin grabs one of the books and hits Jisungs head with it, teasingly.

He rolls his eyes, and the two decide to get back to work. Jisung couldn't really care less if this new student thing was real or not, but he felt a little sorry for him if rumours already ran around about him.

\----------

**♫ 4419 - Stray Kids ♫**

Waking up at 6am for classes was the worst thing Jisung ever did, and he had to do it every single morning.

Sleep deprived and clothes crumpled, he waits at the bus stop to be taken into the city. The shower and tiny breakfast he had been forced to eat by his mom didn't help him wake up in the slightest. His family lived in an apartment block a little away from Seoul, so it was easier to take public transport rather than drive in.

The bright blue bus finally pulls up and he boards it, ignoring the chatter of other students as he heads straight to the back of the bus. The brown-haired boy slips his white earphones into his ears, blasting loud rock music to try to wake himself up.

Staring idly out the window as the bus moves, he's startled by a tap on his shoulder.

Pulling an earphone out, Jisung raises an eyebrow at a nervous dark brown-haired boy in the same uniform as him. It looked a little big on him. He must be a first year.

"I-Is it okay if I sit here? All the other seats are full..."

"Go for it." Returning the earphone, Jisung scoots over closer to the window and rest his head against it. He returns to ignoring the world for some time, but curiosity gets the better of him as he glances over to his seatmate.

He's very thin and handsome, with a strong jawline, high cheekbones and thick dark eyelashes. The boy's skin looks very smooth and dewy compared to Jisung's slightly more patchy one due to stress. A red backpack sat in his lap with a little keychain of a cat on it.

The boy feels Jisung's gaze on him, flitting his eyes towards the brown-haired boys. They catch gazes for a moment. Jisung startles, quickly returning to stare out the window.

Finally, the bus pulls up to the already busy school, the sun pink in the sky. The boy quickly leaves his seat, leaving Jisung to dawdle slowly behind him.

He whips out his phone, knowing once he was through the door he wouldn't be able to use it.

Turning the music up as he types, he opens his text log with his other members.

**jisungsung99: yo I'm here. coffee?**

**Sent 7:17am**

The brown-haired boy sighs, leaning against a tree out the front. Classes started at 8am, meaning he had time to dart across the busy road to a coffee shop. Tucking his phone into his pocket, he looks both ways before crossing the street.

The scent of coffee beans instantly awoke the boy, and he inhales deeply. Jisung's phone buzzes.

**darkboyspearb: Yes please. My usual. I'll pay you back at lunch.**

**Sent 7:21am**

Jisung rolls his eyes, waiting in the long line of tired students and adults. Changbin's favourite was a double shot mocha with marshmallows. The poor coffee barista could only work so fast, giving Chan as well some time to respond.

**jisungsung99: sugar or no sugar?**

**Sent 7:21am**

**darkboyspearb: nah no sugar.**

**Sent 7:22am**

The song had changed now, to a slower one as he approached the front of the line.

**chanb97: yes pls!! medium double shot flat white. thanks hannie ❤❤ ^w^ I'll meet you guys out the front in 10 mins lol**

**Sent 7:24am**

Good save, Chan. Jisung orders their drinks with the smiling cashier, and patiently waits to the side with other customers. The screech of the steam wand cuts through his music, and he glances up.

It's that boy again.

He's collecting a coffee from the counter, having gotten there much earlier than Jisung. He doesn't seem to see him as he turns around and leaves the store.

Jisung frowns, waiting until their coffees are ready. Holding the carry tray in his hands, he trots back across the street.

Chan is standing with Changbin near the entrance, parting the sea of students filing in. It hurt his eyes to see so many white and green shirts with matching blazers, black ties and black bottoms.

Changbin sighs in relief as Jisung arrives, happily taking his coffee. Chan, with his hair no different, takes his own.

"Don't you have detention?" Jisung frowns, sipping his own iced coffee despite the chilly day. He'd taken out his earphones and wrapped them around his phone, stuffing it away into his pocket for later.

"That's for future Chris to worry about."

He nearly chokes on his drink with laughter, and Changbin rolls his eyes in response.

"I tried to warn him, Han. Don't you worry about it."

The three head inside to their homerooms. Chan and Changbin walk ahead, elbowing eachother. They both had similar black backpacks, and Jisung chuckled at the sight. Chan drops them off at their homeroom before going to his own with the other senior students.

Downing the last of his drink, Jisung tosses the plastic cup into the bin and slides into his seat by the window. Changbin had immediately found Hyunjin and slid onto his desk, chatting animatedly to him about a television drama he had watched last night. Jisung rolls his eyes, taking his notebook out to scribble in it.

After drawing a couple of music notes, the class bell finally goes off. Changbin moves from Hyunjins desk to sit at his own, across from Jisung. Their teacher enters and calls the class to attention. They stand and bow as she enters, before sitting again.

"Students, we have a new student joining us today."

Hyunjin wiggles his eyebrows, and Jisung groans. So Hyunjin was right.

She gestures for someone outside the door to join her, and Jisung audibly gasps.

It was the same guy. This dude had to be stalking Jisung at this point.

"This is Lee Minho. He has recently transferred from another school due to his father changing jobs. Would you like to say something about yourself, Minho?" She smiles warmly at him, resting a hand on his shoulder despite being shorter than him. He blinks, thinking hard.

"No, I don't really have anything to say, sorry--"

He suddenly cuts off when he sees Jisung, eyes widening. Then, he swallows, recovering his composure.

"I'm excited to be here. Th-thank you for having me." He bows to the class, before scurrying to his new seat at the back.

Jisung frowns, catching Changbin's eye as their teacher begins the lesson. This new guy seemed to be a bit weird.

\----------

**♫ Glow • Stray Kids ♫**

Days pass, and the new boy Minho avoids Jisung like the plague.

During lunch, he would disappear and only return a few minutes before the next class would start. Skipping lunch was like a sin to the always hungry Jisung, so he never bothered to follow him despite his curiousity.

He hadn't made any friends yet, from the looks of it, save for Hyunjin's friend Seungmin. As class representative, he did his best to include the dark brunette, but Minho seemed wary of a bigger group.

Lunch time finally rolls around on Friday that week, and Jisung was excited for the special menu of kimchi pancake, sauce and rice. However, it seemed Changbin was more excited for something else.

Minho had left quickly during the break, like normal, and hadn't returned. Jisung was a little taken aback by his odd behavior. During mathematics on Tuesday, when Minho had to go to the front to collect his new text book, he'd intentionally avoided Changbin and Jisung as he made his way there.

"That new guy is super weird." Changbin had pulled up a chair to sit with Jisung, as well as Hyunjin and Hyunjin's friend Seungmin. The black-haired boy is frowning into his meal. "I dropped my pen yesterday and literally felt his eyes bore into me when I picked it up."

"Drugs." Hyunjin nods thoughtfully, and Changbin slaps his arm.

"We don't know that for sure, idiot. Maybe he's just nervous."

Jisung is thinking, tapping his chopsticks together. "He sat with me on the bus Tuesday morning. He said all the seats were full... I don't think they were. But after that he sat right at the front."

Seungmin nods thoughtfully, eating. "Yeah, he seems a bit weird... I met him this morning in the office. He was super confident and nice, but saw some blue and pink haired dude in the crowd and hid in the bathroom for twenty minutes. It was awkward waiting for him."

The gears turn slowly in his and Changbin's heads.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom," Jisung finally says, pushing his chair back. It makes a shrieking sound cut across the room as he disappears out the hall.

Ducking into the male toilets, he whips his phone out to catch up on his social media before tucking it away to do his business. While he's washing his hands, he hears the tinny sound of music coming from somewhere nearby.

Jisung frowns, recognizing the track.

**♫ Love Shot - EXO ♫**

Peering around the door of the bathroom, he follows the music until he's standing outside one of the dance practice rooms. These rooms were only used for after school club activies, and he rarely saw them used outside of that time. Curious, Jisung pushes open the door.

The sight inside pleasantly surprises him.

The new kid, Minho, had gotten changed into shorts and a tshirt. In front of the mirror, totally engrossed in the song, he dances.

He dances like a professional, his lithe body turning and moving so carefully and gracefully. Each step is controlled and flows well, confidence rolling off him as he smirks in the mirror.

Minho's eyes flit to his face, and panic quickly envelops his features.

Jisung's jaw had dropped open while he had been watching, and he quickly shuts it as Minho scurries to turn off the music. All confidence had suddenly dropped. "Oh h-hey. Sorry. Don't mind me."

"Wowww, you dance so well Minho!" Jisung ignores the nervous tone, instead fawning as he steps into the practice room. "Did you join this school for the dance program?"

"Y-Yeah." He looks embarrassed, cheeks hot and red. "I was excited to transfer here."

Jisung nods understandingly. "Please show me how to dance like that! Me, Changbin and Chan from the year above really want to go into the performing industry--"

Minho smiles suddenly, excited. "Yeah, I know you guys. 3Racha."

The boy suddenly slaps his own hand over his mouth, surprising Jisung. Minho's cheeks had quickly turned bright red.

"Oh, you know about us?"

"...Yeah," he squeaks. "I'm a big fan."

Jisung blinks. Oh. Ohhhhhh. No wonder he had freaked out so much earlier. His cheeks turn rounder as he grins at Minho.

"Are you? Ah, thank you for your support!" Bowing his head, he thinks quickly before deciding on something.

"If you want... Come by to the library tonight between 4 and 7. Back left corner near the encyclopedias. We'll be waiting~" He winks at a flustered Minho, waving at him as he leaves the room.

Shutting the white door behind him, he presses an ear to the door. A giddy feeling takes over him as he hears Minho squeal in excitement.

It made him happy.


	2. Chapter 2

♫ **YAYAYA • Stray Kids** ♫

After classes had ended, Jisung waited in the library in hopes that Minho would come by.

He waited. And waited. And waited.

Changbin could tell the brown-haired boy was distracted.  Jisung was in charge of compiling his own backing track so they could record tonight. However, he would keep nervously checking the clock on his phone. 4:46pm. 4:51pm. 4:58pm.

"What's on your mind, Han?" Changbin pushes his shoulder, breaking him out of his stupor. He blinks, locking his phone again. 5:04pm.

"Huh?"

"You've done two drum sections in an hour." Changbin points to his laptop screen, and Jisung's cheeks turn pink.

"S-Sorry. I invited someone to come hang out with us today."

"To replace Chan?" They chuckle. The older boy had come to join them for five minutes before one of their teachers, Mr Kim, spotted him and swiftly dragged him away to detention.

"No, no. He's a fan of our work." Jisung grins, excited, and opens up the internet browser to log in to their YouTube account. Their subscriber count was still the same: 7.

"A fan?" Changbin is chewing on the end of his pencil, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep. You probably already know who it is."

Changbin frowns at that, but returns to his work.

Jisung clicks on the list, seeing the usernames. Three of them were his, Chan and Changbin's private accounts. One was Chan's mom. The other three, he wasn't so sure of.

One was yangjeongin2001, which didn't seem right. The second was orangejusticeboi69, which Jisung knew was a Fortnite reference and didn't seem to be Minho's style. It also didn't look like a real account, much to his amusement. The last one was kittykatknow. Curious, he clicks on the profile. The profile picture was of three cats, and there was an instagram profile linked to it.

Jisung clicks the link, and after a second is redirected to the instagram account of Lee Minho. Whoa.

This guy was like a model and photographer in one, with 14k followers. He had gorgeous photos of himself in different places: at the beach with the sunset behind him, the wind ruffling his hair; at a coffee shop, caught mid sip; at home curled up in bed with his cats.

He wondered who took some of these more pose-y photos. Clicking on the most recent, which is a photo of Minho posing in front of a statue, he sees that the date is from six months ago. He tagged the photographer as 'Vante'.

Scrolling through older photos, he spotted this 'Vante' person. There's a photo of a taller person with silver hair with his arms wrapped around Minho's waist, resting his chin on his shoulder. They're smiling and laughing.

"Oh, hey Minho." Changbin's voice brings him back to reality, and Jisung slams the laptop shut. His cheeks are burning from having been caught.

The brown-haired new kid is standing above them, breathless. His hair is damp. "S-Sorry I'm so late. I had dance club practice until 5:30, and then ran all the way here."

"O-Oh, that's okay!" Jisung smiles, excited again. "Chan isn't here, anyway. He has detention until dinner. Please hang out with us, anyway!"

Minho hesitates before complying, sinking into a cushion next to Changbin. He has his arms wrapped around his knees, and looks nervous.

"Oh, this is the fan?" Changbin frowns, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion. Minho squeaks in response.

"I-I love 3Racha. You guys are amazing." Minho is suddenly babbling, his cheeks turning redder. "I discovered your music on Youtube because I wanted to learn how to tie my shoelaces... Your song, Double Knot, came up."

"Oh." Changbin gives Jisung a strange look and goes back to his work, before suddenly turning back to Minho. "Wait, you don't know how to tie your shoelaces?"

Jisung smiles, watching the two interact before quickly opening the laptop and closing the browser. Minho slowly gets over his awkward persona, relaxing and even laughing along to his and Changbin's jokes.

"Wanna come with us for dinner and watch us record?" Jisung had quickly finished up on the backing track, relaxed with the brown-haired boy in front of him. He presses his lips together into a line as he thinks over Jisung's request.

"I should be studying... But I'll come for dinner."

Jisung's heart soars at the response. Grinning and wrapping an arm around his shoulder, he falls into step next to Minho while Changbin hurriedly packs away his laptop. "Let's get some food."

\--------

♫ **CROWN • TXT ♫**

The school had a cafeteria for dinner, which made it easier to keep their home rooms tidy. Chan is seated at their usual table, and waves the group over. Jisung feels Minho stiffen under his arm, and squeezes his shoulder.

"How was detention?" Changbin collects a meal from the food trolley: it was a small serve of bulgogi tonight with a side of vegetables. Jisung drops his arm to collect his own, and Minho follows.

"Pretty boring." He frowns, running a hand through his hair. "Mr Kim said if I don't dye it back by tonight I'll have another detention next week."

"I think you would look good with dark hair," Minho suddenly says without thinking, and then squeaks and blushes. Jisung feels confused by his reaction, seeing how Minho suddenly ducks his head.

Chan blinks, and then his face breaks out into a smile. "Really? I don't dig it, but thank you. Maybe I should go back to black... Oh! I didn't introduce myself. I'm Chan."

Minho looks up, shyly meeting Chan's gaze and takes the hand he extends for a handshake. Jisung felt a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach at the interaction, and hides a frown by eating a big mouthful of lettuce.

"I'm Minho. I'm a big fan of your group." His cheeks turn pinker, and Chan's mouth forms an 'o' shape.

"This is the fan boy?" The colourful haired boy wiggles his eyebrows at Jisung, who grins and slaps his arm. "Well, it's lovely to meet you, Minho. Thank you for supporting us! Fighting."

Chan pumps his fist in the air, making Minho laugh.

Changbin is texting on his phone, ignoring the others. He kicks Chan's leg, nibbling at his food.

"We finished the backing track and lyrics, by the way. Recording is on tonight."

Chan grins, digging into his food. "Sounds good. At yours?"

Minho looks curious, his brow furrowing slightly. It was cute.

"Changbinnie's family is super rich," Jisung explains, poking the black-haired boy. "We have a pretty good setup there for recording songs. Although, it doesn't stop them from coming over to mine and eating all our food, though."

Chan pouts. "Hey! That was one time."

They laugh together, and the conversation quickly changes to discussing their weekend plans. Changbin had a shift at his part time job Saturday night, and his mood soured immediately at the thought.

"I'm going to miss Woojin's party," he whines. Woojin was a super popular boy in Chan's class. He dressed really well and was super nice, but the second he had even a sip of alcohol he became the wildest party animal.

They had Chan to thank for Woojin extending invitations to them, despite being a whole year below the two.

"Just go after," Jisung says, rolling his eyes. "I'll pick you up if you want."

"No thanks, I'd rather not die." Jisung smacks Changbin with his chopstick in response.

Minho had stayed quiet during this conversation, a little afraid to join in. Jisung quickly notices this, and turns to the gorgeous boy.

"Hey, wanna come Minho? I can pick you up, too."

He wrinkles his nose slightly. "I don't know..."

"It'll be a great way for you to meet everyone!" Jisung playfully elbowed him. "Anyone cool will be there."

That makes Minho laugh. It's breathy and reminds Jisung of wind chimes. "I'm not exactly a 'cool' person, Jisung."

"Aw, you should still come, Minho." Chan grins, using his chopsticks as drum sticks on the tray. "It'll be loads of fun~"

Minho's cheeks redden, and he goes quiet for a moment. "...Alright. I'm not doing anything, anyway."

Jisung felt slightly colder, but quickly tries to brighten the mood. "Cool! Can I message you on Instagram or something?"

Jisung notes how Minho's face falls slightly, and immediately regrets asking. "No, sorry, I don't use Instagram anymore. Here, give me your number."

The boy startles into action as he unlocks his phone, reading out the phone number for Minho to type into his own phone. A moment passes, and a text comes through.

**Unknown: its minho lol**

**Sent 7:58pm**

"Thanks! I'll message you tomorrow." Jisung grins, and Minho smiles softly in response.

\----------

♫ **Save me • BTS** ♫

Not texting Minho about anything but the party proved to be very hard.

Jisung groans, laid in his bed with his phone in his hands. It was Friday night still, and they had finished recording hours ago. A strange giddy excitement seemed to keep him awake, despite the time being just past midnight.

He opens the empty chat log again, thinking, before typing.

**Jisung: Hey Minho! This is my number in case you need to contact me|**

The brown-haired boy frowns, quickly backspacing the words. That was weird. Why would Minho ever need to contact Jisung?

**Jisung: sup Minho?|**

No, no. Too casual and weird. Jisung wanted to scream and punch his pillows in frustration, until a bright idea pops into his mind.

Quickly opening his Facebook app, he takes some time to scroll through. 12:11am. 12:28am. 12:49am.

Finally, he found the perfect meme, and quickly downloads the image.

**Jisung: Hey minho, sorry to bother you! saw this meme on fb and it reminded me of you lol**   
**Image Attached**

**Sent 12:50am**

With his mission completed, Jisung felt excited and quickly locks his phone. Placing it on his bedside table so he could try to get some sleep, it vibrates.

**Changbinnie: You sent that to me, idiot.**

**Sent 12:52am**

Embarrassed, Jisung profusely apologizes to his best friend before sending the same message to Minho.

**Changbinnie: do you have a thing for Minho? you acted weird today around him**

**Sent 12:54am**

Jisungs heart jolts in his chest, and he doesnt know how to respond to that for a moment.

**Jisung: no of course not lol**

**Sent: 12:55am**

**Changbinnie: then why do I get the feeling you intentionally looked for that meme to send to him**

**Sent 12:55am**

**Jisung: omg shut up**

**Sent 12:55am**

**Changbinnie: lmao I knew it**

**Sent 12:56am**

Called out, Jisung's cheeks burn and he locks his phone again. Changbin could be mean.

Okay, maybe he was a little interested in Minho. The boy was gorgeous and tall, an amazing dancer and everything about him drew Jisung to him and had ever since he met him.

It didn't mean he was gay or whatever, though.

His phone vibrates, and Jisung checks the notification. His heart soars when he realizes it's from Minho.

**NewGuyFromClass Minho: lol**

**Sent: 1:01am**

**Jisung: you should be sleeping!!**

**Sent: 1:01am**

**NewGuyFromClass Minho: jesus you reply fast**

**Sent 1:02am**

Jisung may or may not have come off as a little too excited, and carefully waits a minute before replying again.

**Jisung: sorry :P what's keeping you up so late, Minho?**

**Sent 1:04am**

**NewGuyFromClass Minho: homework :(**

**Sent 1:05am**

Minho didn't seem like a huge text-messager, and Jisung has to think for a moment before he replies.

**Jisung: aw, good luck. should I leave you alone to work?**

**Sent 1:06am**

**NewGuyFromClass Minho: no, its okay. I'm gonna sleep soon anyway.**

**Sent 1:08am**

**NewGuyFromClass Minho: goodnight, j.one :)**

**Sent 1:08am**

Jisung sighs, wishing Minho a goodnight in return. The boy seemed... disinterested, in comparison to real life. Maybe Jisung had messed up somewhere. Or maybe Minho just didn't like to use his phone the same way Jisung did.

He frowns, and then thinks hard before changing Minho's nickname in his phone. He locks his phone and puts it on charge. Dreamless sleep quickly came to him as he cuddle into his bed sheets.

\----------

♫ **As If It's Your Last • BLACKPINK ♫**

Saturday came around, and Jisung dozily wakes up to hear his phone vibrating on the bedside table. Bleary eyed, he picks it up, reading the caller ID.

"Why are you up so early, Chan?" He groans into the phone, and his friend laughs.

"It's literally 1pm, dude."

"Wait, what?" Pushing his bed hair back, he stands up and opens his curtained window. Jisung groans at the sunlight as it shines inside. The neighborhood he lived in was made up of highrises, and he watches a bus and cars chug along on the streets

"Are you busy? I wanna dye my hair at Salon Jisung."

"No, I just woke up." Jisung rolls his eyes. "Do you wanna come over right now?"

"Yes, please."

They hang up, and Jisung pads to the upstairs bathroom to climb into the shower. He'd overslept a lot. The exhaustion settled over him quickly, so he sat on the floor of the shower, simply letting the warm water wash over him and wake him up slowly.

Dressed in jeans and a blue stripey shirt, it isn't long before his mom is calling him from downstairs to say that Chan is here.

Bounding to the top of the stairs, Jisung catches the sight of his slightly disapproving mother disappear into the kitchen. The television downstairs was on, so Jisung knew his father was awake. Chan is grinning. His hair had faded, and a packet of over the counter dark brown hair dye is in his hands.

"Good afternoon, Han." He jokes, following Jisung upstairs.

"I haven't even eaten yet, bro. You're lucky Salon Jisung is open on an empty stomach." The boy pushes open the upstairs bathroom door, and readies the stained towels they normally used to dye hair. Chan disappears, before reappearing to drag in Jisung's old desk chair. The leather was cracked and faded, and covered in stains.

During the school break, Jisung liked to bleach and dye his hair crazy colours. Silver, mint green, pink. He'd even gone blue for a few weeks before he went back to brown at the beginning of the school year.

"So, you're wanting to dye it back for the party tonight?" They crank some music on Chan's phone, getting to work. The bottle makes a funny sound as Jisung squeezes it out onto his gloved hands. Rubbing it between his fingers, he parts the back of his bleached hair and rubs it in.

"Yeah." He sighs, catching Jisung's eye in the mirror. A grin spreads across his face, making his eyes fold into little crescents. "It's looking sad now, anyway."

Jisung shakes his head, carefully combing the dark dye through. "It looks good. I miss bright hair."

"The school year is nearly over," Chan reminds him. "You could go bright again. What about blonde?"

"Maybe." Jisung smiles, but then it saddens. A mellow feeling seems to hang over the two now. Chan would graduate high school at the end of this year, meaning he would either need to go to university or find a job.

They fall quiet as Jisung works, save for the rock music blasting from Chan's phone.

"So, Woojinnies tonight. 6pm. And you're bringing that new kid? Minho?" Chan tries to break the silence, but struggles. Jisung laughs.

"Yeah, I think so."

"He seems nice," Chan says, smiling. "I wonder if he will like my hair."

Jisung's stomach flips, and he doesn't understand why.

"I'm sure he will," Jisung quickly says, getting back to work. He decides to change the subject. "So, did you manage to edit our song last night?"

They talk about music as Jisung finishes his handiwork. Making sure there were no missed spots, he empties the bottle into Chan's curly hair. Jisung laughs as the elder puts a weird plastic showercap on to keep it in place so it could do it's magic.

They disappear into Jisung's room to use his old desktop PC to play some games. It was made up of a few other computers, and put together years ago by Jisung and an irritable Changbin. It had taken hours and the black-haired boy had wanted to throw it out his window at one point.

"So, tell me Jisung. How did you find our fanboy Minho?" The elder looks funny in the plastic cap, and Jisung chuckles whenever he sees it.

"I overheard him in a dance studio during lunch." The memories of the way Minho moved his body flood Jisung's mind, and he blushes. Chan notices this, and smirks.

"Ohh, I think I understand what's going on now."

"Oh my God, Chan. Shush." Jisung, red faced, logs into Overwatch. "Just play some damn games."

Swapping seats, Jisung pulls his phone out to text Minho about tonight. He pauses for a moment, thinking about how to word the message before sending it.

**Jisung: hey minho! are you still down to come to the party?**

**Sent 2:28pm**

Idly watching Chan lose as Tracer, Jisung flinches when his phone finally vibrates.

**Cutie Minho: I think so, if I'm allowed. did you still want to pick me up?**

**Sent 2:32pm**

The brown-haired boy quickly taps out a reply, giddy with excitement.

**Jisung: Yeah thats fine! Just send me your address and I'll come get you around 6ish.**

**Sent 2:33pm**

Jisung feels excited at the thought of him and Minho, alone in a car. When his new friend finally replies, Jisung is thrilled to see he's only a ten minute drive away. No wonder he was on the bus that day.

Settling into his chair to watch Chan play games, he hums with excitement, watching the clock countdown to 6pm.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello friends here is another chapter update! ive been busy sorry and haven't had a lot of motivation to write. i hope you guys enjoy this update anywayyy


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> who else yelling over yellow wood

**♫ Teenager - GOT7 ♫**

"I think your friend Minho was checking me out yesterday."

Chan's words, that literally came out of nowhere, startled the chubby-cheeked boy.

After eating a late lunch, they both flopped on his small double bed. Scrolling through twitter and instagram, they shared meme videos amongst themselves and to their group chat with Changbin. Chan's hair had long since been washed, and was now a simple dark brown. It curled from being wet before, but was now dry and fluffy on his head.

"W-What?" Jisung is thrown off guard, and Chan laughs.

"Everytime I would stop eating yesterday, he was staring at me. Very weird. Does he do that to you, too?"

Jisung pouts slightly. "No..."

If anything, Jisung felt Minho was a little more attached to his other members over him. After the initial excitement of meeting his idol, Minho's hype towards Jisung had mellowed. They hadn't messaged each other again since this morning, and it wasn't even nearly time to leave for the party.

Chan was due to meet with Woojin a few hours before, and was just procrastinating at this point. Given Woojin was 19, it essentially created a green light for people to put in alcohol orders through him. Chan was one of his very loyal customers.

"Weird guy." Chan mumbles the words, frowning as he messages back someone. Curious, Jisung's eyes flit to the screen, seeing it's another random girl from their school asking for 'homework help'.

The brown-haired boy had always been a little jealous of how popular Chan was. Given his foreign stature, accent and upbringing, the Australian-turned-Korean was a hit amongst the female population of their school. Jisung, shorter and chubbier, had always felt self conscious standing next to the lanky elder boy, but knew his kindness overruled any vanity he felt towards himself.

"...Do you not like him?" Jisung looks back his friend's face, seeing how blank it was as he replied to the message. He pauses, thinking, before breaking out into a smile.

"Nah, he seems really nice. It's nice to see you want to be friends with someone for once." Jisung slaps his friend's chest in response, and he cries out before laughing.

"I'd better go. Do you, uh, want anything for tonight?" Chan runs his fingers through his now-dark hair, sitting up. Jisung hums as he thinks.

"Vodka."

Grinning, Chan affectionately ruffles Jisung's hair before swiftly seeing himself out, telling the younger he would see him later that night.

Jisung checks the time. 4.32pm. He groans, burying his face in his pillows. He still had at least an hour before he needed to leave, and at this point felt he was wasting his Saturday.

The boy didn't feel committed enough to study, the giddy excitement of the party tonight taking over. Rolling over, he struggles to come up with an idea of what to do before remembering there was one thing he could do.

Smiling softly to himself, he searches under his messy bed for a particular notepad. The small book was dog eared and very old, having been written into and paged through for years.

It was his song book.

Page upon page of lyrics opened up to him as he flips towards the back. Some were crossed out, others littered with doodles or question marks. Some he had written when he went through a darker age, full of curse words and anger. Other's were inspired by the feelings of love, friendship, seasons. Picking up a pen off his cluttered bedside table, Jisung sucks the nib gently before bringing it to the page.

Ink flows as he writes, crossing some words out here and there as he saw fit. The lyrics came to him smoothly, as if they took over his hand and were writing themselves down.

Happy with his progress after a while, he carefully shuts the book before tucking it back under his bed.

With Jisung's mind cleared, he went to his computer to play more video games until it was time to leave.

\----------

♫ **19 - Stray Kids** ♫

"I'm taking the keys, Ma!" Jisung calls the words out as he rushes down to the door, dressed now in a red plaid shirt and black jeans for the party. His hair was mused back with gel for a change, different to his normal coconut look. His game of League of Legends had run over time, making him accidentally late for picking Minho up. He didn't even bother to check his phone as he hurriedly got changed.

His mother, Sunmi, is dressed in an apron and wanders out of the kitchen as Jisung hurries down the stairs. She was trying her hand at baking something, and had flour sticking to her dark hair. Her eyebrow raises as Jisung's appearance choice.

"And where are you going so late?" Her lips press into a disapproving line.

"Hanging with Chan and Changbin," he lies quickly, even though it was partially true. Sunmi frowns, folding her arms, before relinquishing the keys from her jeans pocket.

"Alright. Just message me if you're not coming home, okay?"

He nods, before hurrying up to his mother to kiss her cheek as he leaves. Keys in hand, he zooms to the underground garage of their apartment block and into the second car his family owns.

The seats are worn and the air conditioner doesn't work, but Jisung still loved this car. Blasting the radio as he speeds out of their garage, Jisung's heart quickens in pace.

The boy really loved to drive, even though he wasn't very good at it. Thankfully, Minho's house was only 10 minutes down the street, and after accidentally forgetting to indicate a few times he's outside of a small, rundown apartment block.

Jisung turns down the music. Should he call Minho to tell him to come out? What apartment number did he say?

He frowns, unlocking his phone, but the notification of a message he received while he was driving caught his attention.

**Cutie Minho: hey dont cpme by my house im gonna stay home.**

**Sent 5:58pm**

Flustered, Jisung isn't sure on how to respond for a moment. Here he was, parked outside of Minho's house in a no stopping zone.

Rolling the car forward into a carpark, he turns off the car and quickly types a response.

**Jisung: hey! I didn't see your message sorry, but I'm here now. if youve changed your mind?**

**Sent 6:04pm**

Pressing his lips together into a thin line, he slowly turns the radio back up as he waits for Minho to respond. 5 minutes pass, and then 10. Should he just leave.

Nervous, he's about to start the car up again but the apartment doors are pushed open.

A boy in a black hoodie slips out, headed towards his car. The hood is pulled up and drawn close, and in the dark Jisung is unable to make out who it is. It's only when the boy is close does he realize it's Minho.

Waving, Jisung unlocks the car doors and Minho slips inside. He's carefully angling his face away from Jisung.

"Hey Minho!" Jisung's initial flip-flop excitement at seeing the dark-haired boy saddens when he realizes his classmate is sniffling. His smile is quickly replaced with a frown. "...Are you okay?"

"L-Let's just go." He's looking out the window, trying to seem unbothered, but his voice is wobbling. Jisung, concerned, gently grasps his shoulder.

He expected Minho to throw his hand off, and is startled when he instead suddenly turns around. His eyes, which at school were full of happiness and smiles, were hollow and lifeless. Across his smooth cheek was a red hand print.

"Oh, Minho--" Jisung's heart crashed to his stomach, seeing him sniffle harder. Minho's eyes are red rimmed with unshed tears.

"I-it's okay. I'm sorry-- I should just go back inside--"

Before Minho can finish, Jisung is unbuckling his seat belt and throwing his arms around the taller boy. While he normally wouldn't do this for basically strangers, he'd grown attached to the dark-haired boy and wanted him to feel okay.

Minho stiffens in his grasp, before gasping, tears trickling down his cheeks. "S-Sorry--"

"Stop apologizing. It's okay." Jisung's words are warm, and he gently pats the hood on his head. "I don't understand what happened, nor why it happened, but you're safe here, okay? Let's go for a drive."

He pulls away, noting how the tears fell free now. Turning the car ignition on, Jisung pulls out before turning the radio on. He sings along, loudly and badly, making Minho laugh wateringly.

Jisung drives out towards the suburbs, near where Woojin's house was but not close enough to go there. Minho didn't seem to be in the right headspace to party at the moment, but Jisung knew just the place to take him.

The radio host changes the song, and Minho curiously looks out the window. "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere nice." Jisung smiles, driving past big houses with picket fences. "My family used to live around here until it became too expensive to rent."

"Cute," Minho mutters. As a red blush crosses his cheeks, he's grateful that Minho is looking out the window.

A small park with a swingset and slide come into view, and Jisung carefully pulls up next to it on the curb. "Let's chill for a bit, yeah? Until you feel better."

Minho nods. His tears had long since dried up, and his cheek was quickly going back to its normal colour. However, Jisung could see the boy was still fragile, and probably just wanted to chill before being thrown into a party where he didn't know everyone.

They open the car doors, and Jisung shuts his behind him. Locking the car, they head to the swingset. Jisung shivers, having not bothered to get a jacket before he left. It was cold out tonight.

Minho flops onto the closest swingset, his long legs dangling and touching the floor. Jisung follows, sitting on the other, and a silence falls.

Jisung opens his mouth to break it, but Minho had the same idea.

"So what happened tonight--" "I'm sorry about before--

Embarrassed, Jisung hurriedly tries to fix the situation. "You go first, Minho."

"No, no, you go first." He sounds nervous, and laughs awkwardly.

Jisung breathes out, gently swinging. "What happened tonight? If I can ask."

Minho looks uncomfortable, looking at the ground, and Jisung hurriedly speaks. "Ah, don't stress! I just hope you're okay."

The dark-haired boy raises his head, and slips his hood down. A smile breaks onto his face as he turns to Jisung, his eyes folding into little crescents.

Jisung feels his heart skip a beat.

"I'm okay. My father and I just had a disagreement. It's normal." Minho's eyes look a little lost for a moment as he speaks, and Jisung just quietly nods, not wanting to rock the boat. "He's not fond of me leaving the house after dark."

"That sucks." Jisung frowns, suddenly shivering. A silence falls again, and Minho hums.

"I listen to your music a lot when situations like that happen... so, thank you." Minho looks to the ground again, mumbling the words. Jisung's cheeks turn pink.

"You're welcome, Minho."

His face twitches slightly, and he grins. "I think outside of class you should call me differently."

"Huh?" Jisung is confused, and Minho laughs at his expression.

"You were born in 2000, right?" He wiggles his eyebrows at the shorter boy.

"Yeah..."

"I was born in 1998."

Jisung's jaw drops, and Minho laughs as he profusely apologizes for using the wrong honorifics.

"Why are you not in the year above, then?" He looks questioningly at the elder, watching him smile and swing.

"I failed my second year of highschool, which is why I moved school." Oh.

"Ahh, I see." Jisung nods, wetting his lips. "Hyung."

Minho giggles at the name, looking away. "Now that that's sorted... Should we go to that party?"

Jisung nods, quickly jumping from the swing set. "They're probably expecting us."

Minho follows close after, but Jisung doesn't see the radiant smile he throws his way.

\----------

♫ Road not Taken - Stray Kids ♫

The party was in full swing by the time the two boys arrived. Parked a little down the street, Jisung carefully steps over a drunked partygoer as they enter the house.

The noise level is incredibly loud. Music is blasting from a Spotify Premium playlist on a set of speakers, and people dance and laugh amongst themselves. A game of beer pong is being played in Woojin's living room: Hyunjin versus an older boy in Chan's class. The crowd that had formed roars as Hyunjin successfully downs a drink.

"Jesus," Minho says, startling Jisung by his close proximity. The younger stares at him, before he slaps his shoulder.

Minho gapes at him, offended. "Hey! Don't swear!"

Rolling his eyes in response, Jisung grabs his new friend's arm before steering him into the kitchen.

Chan is standing at the punch, holding the ladle and letting the drink slowly pour out into the bowl. His eyes look glassy.

"Chan!"

He turns at Jisung's voice, before grinning widely. Minho stiffens slightly under Jisung's hold as the younger steers him to stand with the Australian.

"Whatcha doing?" Jisung is curious as he looks inside of Chan's cup. It's full of chunks of pineapple and fruit.

"Getting a snack," he says, carefully draining the punch out of the ladle again so he can just eat the fruit.

Jisung rolls his eyes in response, grabbing Minho's wrist. The music suddenly gets louder, making Jisung yell at the elder. "Do you want a drink?"

The dark-haired boy blinks, before nodding. Jisung turns towards the kitchen table, which was lined with different types of spirits and soft drink. Whiskey, vodka, tequila, even some rum. He scans it for the vodka marked with his name, before pouring him and Minho an overly strong drink each.

He turns back with the red solo cups in hand, but his heart drops when he sees Minho. Chan is telling him a story, laughing as he does so, and Minho smiles in response. All of his attention is on Chan.

Jisung definitely wasn't jealous. The amount of adoration in Minho's eyes just made him a little sad. Steeling himself, Jisung pushes a smile onto his face as he approaches the two.

Passing the red cup to Minho, the elder takes a big sip before nearly spitting it back out. "Jeez, is this 90% vodka or something?"

"Maybe I just like my drinks strong," Jisung mumbles, feigning offence as he sips his own. He grimaces, before smacking his lips as if he was refreshed.

"Tasty." Jisung grins. Chan laughs, before leaning in to pinch Jisung's cheek.

"You're cute, Sungie." Jisung wrinkles his nose at the sudden nickname.

"Hey, um... Let's go dance, Chan," Minho says suddenly, gripping the elder's arm. "Is that okay, Jisung?"

Oh.

Disappointment flits across his heart. Chan looks surprised by this sudden request, but complies, putting down his cup of fruit.

"Yeah, go for it." Jisung grins, seeing how Minho's face breaks into a beaming smile as he and Chan disappear into the dance floor.

If Minho was so happy, then why was Jisung so sad?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another chappyyyy. I realized I made a mistake after writing this because i didnt research the age to drive properly. I also may have messed up the birth years slightly in planning this story but here we are lol. hope youre enjoying! some spice is gonna happen soon


	4. Chapter 4

 

**♫ I'm Fine - BTS ♫**

Being drunk was fun until reality came crashing down around you.

Here Jisung stood, one moment swaying to the beat with an arm around a tipsy Seungmin, and the next experiencing a twist in his stomach he recognized all too well. Nauseous, he struggles to hold in his stomach as he hurries upstairs.

The music dies away as he enters the bathroom, before his stomach contents come up. Gagging, the awful scent of vomit burns his nostrils as he groans on the floor. The world spun around him when he closed his eyes, making the vertigo worse.

The door squeaks open, and the booming sound of the party from downstairs gets louder for a second until the door is shut again.

"You're an idiot. How much have you had to drink?" Changbin, dressed still in his plaid work uniform, crouches down next to Jisung. He frowns as the younger boy groans.

"A lot," he mumbles. The moment Minho had disappeared with Chan, Jisung had hidden his pain by joining in on drinking game after drinking games. Shots of spirits went down his throat like water. Hell, he'd even drunk down the King's Cup, which had been a mix of vodka, beer and orange juice.

For clarification, it was the worst thing Jisung had ever drunk.

Now that everything was blurry, the sixteen year old regretted his choices. Pitiful, he sits up to rest his cheek on the toilet seat as another wave of nausea hit him.

Changbin had arrived shortly after 9pm, and was annoyed with Jisung for being so drunk already. Normally the boy would only have one before calling it a night, but tonight was different.

"You're an idiot," he mutters again, musing Jisung's hair away from his forehead. Changbin looked funny in the glasses he wore outside of school, and Jisung chuckles to himself at the sight.

"Jisung! Bro! Are you okay?" A drunk Chan slurred over his words as he entered the bathroom, choppily swapping between Korean and English. "Seungmin told me you weren't feeling good."

"'M fine." Jisung groans, before leaning over the toilet to vomit again. Changbin sighs, resting a hand on the younger's head defeatedly.

"You're definitely not fine, Han."

"Where's Minho?" Jisung looks worried when he realizes Chan is alone, swaying slightly from his position next to the wall. A half finished beer was in his hand.

"Downstairs." Changbin, irritated, stands up. "Where you're not going again. You're going to bed now."

Jisung whines in protest as Changbin loops his hands under his armpits, lifting him up. "Chris, go get him some water."

He nods, grinning, before disappearing from the bathroom. A few seconds pass, and you can hear a thump of someone falling down the stairs as well as a couple 'ooh's of sympathy. Changbin rolls his eyes as he helps Jisung stand.

"Useless Chan," he mumbles, supporting the younger boy as they make their way to one of Woojin's guest rooms. Jisung whines again in protest, the world spinning around him as he tries to slide out of Changbin's grasp and onto the floor.

"N-No, I'm fine! I'm feeling fine. It was... tactical." He hics the words, feeling Changbin hesitate. Jisung knew if he pestered the black-haired boy enough, he would eventually cave.

However, his best friend steels himself before opening the bedroom door, ending all conversation.

It's thankfully empty. The dark-haired boy helps Jisung take off his black Doc Martin boots and slip under the plain dark blue covers. The younger boy groans. Every time he shut his eyes, the world spun beneath his eyelids.

"I'll be right back," he says curtly, before disappearing. Jisung closes his eyes, sighing in defeat. He felt clammy, yet cold at the same time.

While waiting for Changbin to return, hopefully with some water, it isn't long before he passes out. Strange dreams come to him in flashes before he's startled awake by the door suddenly opening. The noise of shouting from downstairs rises in volume before the door is shut again, leaving Jisung and a stranger in darkness.

"Jisung. I'm gonna take you home." It's Changbin again, and he sounds exasperated.

"H-Huh?" He's confused when Changbin approaches him with some water, setting it down on the bedside table. The black-haired boy sits on the edge of the bed, his face illuminated by a street light outside. His expression is hard.

"Drink that, then let's go." He's already picking up Jisung's boots from the floor, and the younger grasps his wrist to stop him.

"W-Wait-- my car--"

"You should have thought about that before getting so drunk, Jisung." Changbin's eyes narrow. "There's been an incident. You need to go home."

It takes Jisung a moment to process the elder's words, protesting when Changbin suddenly grabs the water glass and pushes it against his lips. "Drink, Han."

Annoyed, he grasps the glass so Changbin would stop being so forceful. The black-haired boy moves the covers, exposing Jisung to the chilly air. He slips his shoes on and reties them so they can leave.

"What happened?" Jisung is curious, now finished with his water. He already felt better, more sober, but definitely not sober enough to drive.

"There's been a fight." Changbin sounds irritable, and Jisung doesn't want to push it as he slips out of the bed. Changbin, while incredibly loyal, was easily very overprotective of the younger. Jisung could clearly remember how there had been a spider at Chan's house once last year and the elder had banned Jisung from going over again until the Australian fixed the problem.

Still wobbly on his feet, the two head out into the brightly lit hallway. The music is still pumping, and Jisung squints at the sudden brightness. He frowns, checking his phone. 1:57am.

Voices grow louder as they rejoin the throng of people downstairs. Hushed, Jisung can feel eyes on him and Changbin as they maneuver through the thinned but still partying crowd. The younger grasps for Changbin's wrist.

"Can we say bye to everyone before we leave?" Jisung bats his eyelashes at the elder for effect. Secretly, he just wanted to see Minho before he left, but knew Changbin would be annoyed by that. His acting doesn't stop him from seeing hesitation flash across Changbin's face.

"I don't think that's a good idea--"

"Jisungie!"

Seungmin hurries up to them. His button up has become disheveled, and his hair is sticking up from sweat. "Ah, Changbinnie should have grabbed you sooner. You missed the big fight."

"Fight?"

Changbin looks bothered. "Seungmin, don't--"

"Woojin-hyung and Minho got into a fist fight. One second they were just talking, the next they were yelling." Seungmin is wincing at the memory, the grip on his red solo cup tightening. "It got pretty bad. Woojin's lip got cut--"

Jisung grasps Seungmin's shoulders, worry suddenly settling into him. "Wh-Where are they?"

"Woojin-hyung is in the kitchen with Chan. Minho left about ten minutes ago. He looked pretty upset. Nobody knows what caused it."

Minho... had left. Icy worry fills his heart, remembering how fragile he had looked only hours earlier. How hollow his eyes had been.

With those eyes in his mind, Jisung rushes through the crowd and out the front door. He can hear Changbin calling for him to stop as he runs out, into the cold night.

The lawn is slick with dew already, but Jisung ignores it to take out his phone and dial Minho's number. It goes straight to message bank.  Jisung's breath turns into mist as he pants, running along the side walk. It was only autumn, yet it was already freezing cold. God, how he wished it wasn't Minho who was walking outside, alone? At night?! Was the elder an idiot?

The brown-haired boy wasn't exactly made for running, and eventually slows down. He'd run a few block, and frowns, cupping his hands around his mouth.

"Minho!" A dog starts barking in the distance, alerted by his loud voice. He frowns, continuing down the street. Would he have headed home? It was at least a 20 minute walk. He wanders in that general direction, breath coming out in short pants. Suddenly, car headlights illuminate him.

An expensive-looking and very recognizable car pulls up next to him, driving at a snail speed to keep up with his walking. The window rolls down, exposing a pissed off Changbin.

"Jisung, what the hell are you doing?"

"Looking for Minho." He continues walking, and he was sure Changbin would drive his car in front of him to force him to stop, if not for how dangerous it would be.

"Get in the car."

"Not until I find him!"

Changbin revs his engine, irritated, before stopping and unlocking his car door. "I'll help you. Just get in the damn car."

Jisung pauses in step, hesitating. It was 2am. Changbin looked exhausted and angry, so Jisung opened his car door and slid in.

The scent of leather hits him immediately. Changbin's car was really nice, with fancy seats that heated up and a huge stereo system. Pushing his glasses up his nose, Changbin sighs.

"Where would he have gone?"

Jisung shrugs, thinking. He had a vague idea where he might have gone, but was it enough?

"Let's drive around a bit."

\----------

♫ **Don't Know What to Do - Blackpink ♫**

2am becomes 3am. Changbin yawns, still driving around, while Jisung stays with his nose pressed against the glass.

"I think we should call it a night, Jisung--"

"No!"

Jisung pouts, worried. They had driven to his apartment and back again already, with no sign of him. They had gone back to the party, only to find it dead and most party goers gone or asleep.

He'd probably left a tonne of messages on Minho's phone at this point, having called him like 16 times already.

"Have you maybe considered that he doesn't want to talk to you?" Changbin's voice is rough with exhaustion, and Jisung felt very guilty. He knew he'd worked a long shift, and if his mother knew he was driving this late (early?) he would be banned from it for weeks.

"Yeah..." Jisung frowns. They were back to roaming his childhood streets. There was only one place left to check,  and Jisung doubted Minho had gone there.

Changbin pulls up to at the park he and Minho had gone to, defeated. He sighs, turning his car off.

"5 minutes. Then, I'm taking you home."

"Thanks, 'Bin." Jisung grins, hurriedly getting out of the car. Changbin gives him a strange look as he slides out into the night, but Jisung doesn't catch it.

The park was spooky at 3am, and cold. Jisung shivers, pulling his flannel shirt closer as he turns on his phone's torch light.

He wished he had a jacket.

A hopeful feeling enters his chest at the sight of the moonlit swingset, but is quickly deflated when he realizes how empty it is. The slide as well was eerily empty, damp from the cold.

Turning around to return to the car, Jisung startles when he suddenly notices something sprawled on the lawn that span across the park. A person.

Squinting, he nearly cries out when he recognizes them. "Minho?!"

The elder is laying on the grass, hoodie pulled up and tightened. His eyes travel to Jisung's face, squinting at the sudden glare from his phone light. He hides his eyes with a hand.

"What the hell?" Minho's voice is ragged. The younger squeaks before profusely apologizing, unlocking his phone to turn off his torch setting.

"Are you okay?" Jisung crouches next to him, rubbing his own arms for warmth. He really wanted to know what was going on. "It's 3am-- I've been looking everywhere for you--"

Minho suddenly sniffles, his hand still over his eyes. He moves it to pinch the bridge of his nose, and Jisung suddenly realizes his eyes are red rimmed from crying.

"...Do you wanna come to mine?" Jisung is softer now, moving to gently grip Minho's hand.

The elder nods, squeezing his hand in response. His face twists as Jisung helps the elder up, wrapping an arm around his shoulder for support.

Changbin looked surprised at the sight of Jisung slipping an intoxicated and sleepy Minho into the backseat of the car. The younger slides into the passenger front seat, seeing in the mirror Minho had quickly fallen asleep.

His black-haired best friend shakes his head before turning the car back on and driving off the curb. He stifles a yawn, pushing his glasses back up his nose.

"I don't understand how you managed to find him, but I'm taking him home and then you to mine."

"He's going to come stay with me tonight."

An awkward silence falls. The tension in the car suddenly seemed to grow, confusing Jisung.

Changbin finally speaks, after focusing on driving for a few long seconds.

"Um, I was hoping we would be able to hang out, but that's okay. I get it. To yours, then?"

"Changbin--"

The crushing disappointment in his voice upset Jisung. He already felt bad for making him stay so late, but now knowing he had let down his best friend hurt.

He felt torn.

"Could Minho-hyung come stay at yours, too? Then I'll stay." He says the words quickly, leaning towards the front seat. Changbin sighs, back to his gruff self.

"Sure."

A silence falls in the car again. Jisung fiddles with his dying phone in his hands, unsure of what to say.

It was approaching 3:30am when Changbin pulled up to his parent's house. The twin garage would be loud, so he just pulled up into the driveway for now in front of the huge mansion. Changbin turns off his car, and the two sit for a moment in silence. Minho is silent, and Jisung turns to see him sound asleep with his mouth open.

"I wonder why they had a fight--"

"Jisung."

Changbin looks exhausted, turning to his friend. "Let's just go in and sleep."

Jisung, slightly disappointed, nods.

"Alright. Let's sleep."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi boyles we are back with a shortish chapter but im slowly getting into the swing of writing again. I'm currently on holiday and have been writing during my free time but lel next chapter gonna be spicyyyy


	5. Chapter 5

**♫ The Truth Untold - BTS ♫**

Laying next to Changbin in his huge double bed, Jisung felt awkward for the first time ever with his best friend. The tension had grown very thick since his best friend's strangled reaction in the car to wanting to stay with Minho.

Where had all of this come from? One moment it was fine, and the next it wasn't. Jisung side eyes his best friend, who is motionless: asleep? He wasn't quite sure.

When Changbin had unlocked the back door to his huge home, the two had carried an asleep Minho in and dumped him on the futon in Changbin's room. Bringing the limp Minho upstairs without alerting Changbin's parents proved harder to do than it seemed, but they managed to do it.

Jisung had taken extra care, filling a plastic bottle with water for the elder and getting him a blanket and pillow, while Changbin simply got into his own bed. Stupid, stubborn Changbin.

Minho looked so peaceful. Jisung had taken a moment to linger, and admire his face. The dip of his nose, the way his mouth hung open a little. His cheeks heated when he realized what he was doing, scurrying into Changbin's bed.

Which brought them to right now, sharing a bed with his best friend. He felt confused laying on his back, staring at the darkened ceiling.

The sixteen year old had shared a bed with Changbin heaps of times before, but it had never felt like... this.

Jisung rolls over, facing Changbin's back and frowning hard. He felt tired, but these thoughts stayed in his mind. His heart pounded in his chest, especially when Changbin rolls over and catches him staring.

The two startle. Jisung quickly rolls onto his back, flustered. His heart rate accelerated. Most of the alcohol had disappeared from his system, leaving him with a dry sensation in his mouth and a headache, so he definitely didn't miss Changbin's embarrassed stare.

Jisung rolls back over to face Changbin, who had shut his eyes.

"'Bin?"

"Mm?" The black-haired boy cracks opens an eye, frowning.

"Thanks for looking after me tonight."  Jisung grins, and Changbin rolls his eyes before shutting them again. The glimpse of a smile flits across his best friend's face after a few seconds.

"Of course, Han. Anything for you."

And, just like that, the tension from before was gone. Content, Jisung shuts his eyes, bunching the sheets in his fists.

He's nearly asleep when he hears Changbin whisper something, barely audible. If the room wasn't silent, he wouldn't have even heard the black-haired boy.

"What?" Jisung's voice catches in his throat, and he coughs to clear it.

Changbin remains silent, before rolling onto his back. He looks torn, his brow creased.

"We're best friends, yeah?"

The doubtful tone behind his words hurt the younger, and he frowns. Jisung balls his hand into a fist, lightly punching Changbin's shoulder.

"Duh. Who else is able to deal with my shit like you can, Changbin? You're my best friend, no takesies-backsies."

He lowly chuckles in response, before shutting his eyes. A small silence falls before he speaks again.

"I'm gay."

Jisung blinks.

The words sink in, and the boy startles. The brown-haired boy suddenly rolls over to look at him, surprised. "Wait, what?"

Changbin looks ready to murder him, his cheeks red and embarrassed. "I... like guys?

"Oh. Oh!" Jisung blinks, his brain seeming to take longer than normal to process his words. "That... surprisingly makes sense."

For as long as he had known the elder, he and Changbin had never spoken about girls. Or, if they did, it would be Jisung ranting about whatever crush he had at the time. Jisung just figured his best friend was too involved in music to take an interest in anyone.

His mind raced to a moment he remembered very well: a fated Valentine's day, last year. Son Chaeyoung, a pretty girl in their class, had approached Changbin's desk with a gift of chocolate and a confession of love. She wrote a long letter for him, which he was forced to read while she and the rest of the class watched.

He had never seen Changbin's ears turn redder in his life, nor seen him run so fast to hide in the bathroom.

Looking back on it, only someone with no interest in females could respond that way.

Changbin took his silence badly, a deep sigh escaping his chest. "Look, I'm sorry--"

"Ah, sorry. It's okay Changbin! I fully support you." Jisung sits up, giving him a thumbs up and a huge smile. "I don't care who or what you like, I'll still be proud! Unless it's to do with kicking puppies."

Changbin gives him a strange look from where he lay. He seemed to be searching Jisung's eyes, before breaking into a smile and punching his shoulder. "Lay back down, idiot. Just keep it a secret, hey? You're the first person I've told."

Jisung felt a flutter of love for his friend hits his chest at the sudden secret, proud that Changbin chose him to tell first.

He mimes zipping his lips, laying back down. Reaching out to pat the back of Changbin's hand, he smiles.

"Always find me if someone's giving you trouble, yeah? I pack a good punch for homophobes."

Changbin chuckles at that. A silence falls, and he slips his hand into Jisung's and squeezes it.

The younger squeezes it back, grinning, missing another odd look from Changbin.

The elder lets go to tell him to go to sleep, rolling over onto his side away from Jisung.

Jisung sinks into the pillows, unable to stop the smile that spread across his face. Changbin confiding something so personal to him made him feel warm, and proud of his best friend.

His thoughts drew to Minho, only a few metres away, and his heart fluttered. Jisung still had a lot of questions for the elder, but knew he needed to wait until they had all slept.

\----------

♫ **Play it Cool - Monsta X** ♫

Jisung hadn't remembered falling asleep, but woke up to the sun shining and completely alone.

Blinking sleepily and smacking his dry mouth, he frowns at the chiffon curtains that barely block out the sunlight. The frown deepens when he sees Changbin gone, and the futon empty. Rolling over to unlock his nearly dead phone, he squints as it lights up, trying to make the blurry words out.

**Changbinnie: taking minho home**

**Sent 1:47pm**

**Cutie Minho: hey thanks for looking after me last night. I'll see you monday**

**Sent 1:52pm**

Jisung was ready to flip.

'I'll see you monday'. I'll. See. You. Monday. Groaning in frustration, he flops back on Changbin's bed, throwing a hand over his face.

After all they'd been through, he'd been brushed aside. He'd seen Minho cry. The elder had confided in him about things he probably hadn't with anyone else before. Jisung had spent ages searching for the elder this morning, after whatever fight he and Woojin had gotten into.

It was all for naught.

Jisung turned and screamed in frustration into the pillow, before casually unlocking his phone to text the elder back.

Being pushed away like this just made him more determined that Minho like him. Wasn't the dancer a fan of their music? Remembering the way he laughed yesterday while confiding so much into him, Jisung's heart flip-flopped while he opened his chat log with the elder.

Jisung: why don't we hang later tonight?|

The brown-haired boy suddenly stops in his tracks, thumbs hovering above the touch screen of his phone.

Why was he so crazy about Minho being interested in him? He frowns,  locking his phone and putting it on charge. A confused feeling settled deep in his stomach.

The more Jisung thought about it, the more confused he felt.

Not even Changbin's return could knock him out of his stupor. The two drive in silence to Jisung's car, with the younger simply staring out the window. Changbin's eyes flicker to the younger's every few minutes, worry prominent on his face. Save for a goodbye once Jisung was at his own car, they didn't speak once.

It's only when Jisung is driving behind his normal bus on his way home does everything click into place.

He suddenly gasps and slams on the brakes,  resulting in the car behind him honking angrily. Breathing heavy, Jisung seems to restart, his heart beating faster and faster as he quickly drove his car again.

He had a crush on Lee Minho.

It wasn't just a 'I want to be friends' kind of crush. It was a 'I want to kiss and hold you' kind of crush.

Jisung flushed red at the thought, butterflies swarming in his stomach. Finally pulling into the garage and turning off his car, he sits for a moment, breathing hard.

He slams his head on the steering wheel, squeaking and jumping when the horn suddenly blasts. One of his neighbours, onto their way to their own car, flinches and gives Jisung a nasty look. Nervously laughing, he waves and ducks his head.

Holy moly. Jisung really did like Minho.

He runs his fingers through his hair, before unlocking his phone and calling the only person he could talk to about this.

After two rings, Changbin picks up. "Jisung? Is everything okay--"

"I think I might be gay too," Jisung suddenly breathes out, almost hyperventilating at this point. "I-I mean, not gay gay. Bisexual? I don't know--"

He's rambling at this point, and Changbin hurriedly interrupts him. His voice sounds higher pitched than normal, and giddy. "Y-You are?"

"Yeah," he whispers, sinking down further into his seat. "I-- I think I like Minho."

A very pregnant silence follows. For a moment, Jisung wondered if the phone line had cut off because of how silent Changbin had become. He pulls it away from his ear, seeing that it's still connected, before speaking into it again. "Changbinnie?"

"You like Minho? Like, like-like?" His voice is raspier now, shaky. Jisung pauses for a moment, feeling worried. "I thought you didn't."

"I've been pretty confused since I met him," Jisung whispers, swallowing. "But I think I know. I've felt like this ever since I saw him dance."

Another awkward silence follows, before Changbin breaks it. His voice sounds hollow. "That's... cool. Nice. Thank you for telling me. I'd better go now."

"W-Wait, Changbin--" Jisung's words are cut off as the elder hangs up, and he frowns, staring at the blank screen. His best friend seemed so upset, and quick to leave. Did he feel like Jisung had stolen his thunder?

Suddenly he felt guilty, and wished he hadn't said anything in the first place.

For now, he needed answers that Changbin wasn't giving him.

He opens the car door, hurrying up the stairs to his apartment. Jisung hardly replies to his mother's frantic questions, racing upstairs to turn on his computer. He didn't even bother to have a much needed shower or brush his teeth on the way, knowing that could come later.

It takes a while for the older piece of technology to boot up, and Jisung hums, tapping on his table while he waits.

Opening a Google Chrome browser, he sits there for a moment. Jisung, suddenly stumped, was unsure of what to type in the search bar.

Frowning, his fingers move across the keyboard, putting in words.

**how do you know if you're gay|**

Jisung felt silly now, letting the request sit in the search bar instead of entering it. Would Googling this sort of stuff make him more confused?

Steeling himself, he hits send, and is flooded with search results. Jisung blinks, pushing his brown hair back.

A lot of people had asked the same question, it seems.

He opens the first article, and is floored by what he quickly learns.

Then, he opens a second. Then, a third. His tabs section fills up quickly, and Jisung is so invested in his search he almost doesn't hear his mother knock on the door.

"Jisung?" Caught red handed, he flinches and hastily closes the window, just in time for her to open the door. She pauses, squinting as it minimizes, and sees the nervous look on his face.

"What were you doing, son?"

"N-Nothing," he says quickly, opening his games library. "What's up, mom?"

The dark-haired woman purses her lips, a laundry basket balanced on her hip. "Last night, Han Jisung. What did I ask you to do?"

Jisung can hear the anger in her tone, shivering at the use of his full name. "...To stay safe?"

"To let me know if you weren't coming home," she seethes, obviously upset, picking up dirty laundry off his floor. He nervously laughs, running a hand through his hair.

"S-Sorry, mom--"

"You're grounded, Jisung." She straightens, holding her free hand outstretched. "Phone. Now."

"Mom!" Jisung cries out, pouting. She gives him a warning look, raising her eyebrow. Reluctantly, he slips it out of his pocket and gives it to her.

"No parties. No going to another persons house. You go to school, and then come straight back home." Jisung protests, but one look from his mom zips him right up. She puts his phone on the top of the washing pile. "If you're good for a week I'll maybe give your phone back."

"Yes, mom." Jisung grumbles the words, turning back to his computer as she leaves the room. Defeatedly, he slips away from the monitor, and throws himself on his bed.

No phone. No after school hangouts. This was basically child abuse. He groans, shoving his face into his pillows. How were he, Changbin and Chan supposed to work on their new album now?

Jisung rolls onto his back, staring at his white ceiling. Maybe it wasn't as important as his music career, but how would he get closer to Minho now?

Honestly, Jisung just wanted Monday to come again so he could find out what exactly had happened at the party last night.

With a heavy sigh, he returns to his computer, ready to game the afternoon away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it took me so long to update! had a bit of writers block with this fic, and I've been focusing lots of my other fic hahaa

**Author's Note:**

> hi friends, I had this idea while writing my changlix fic and finally got it down! a cute highschool music based au for minsung ❤ ill try to work just as hard on this fic as I do for my changlix one! lemme know what you think


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